Former president and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari along with his sister Faryal Talpur appeared before a joint investigation team (JIT) at the Federal Investigation Agency’s office in Islamabad in a case related to alleged laundering of Rs 35 billion through fake accounts in 2015.
The brother-sister duo was accompanied by Senator Sherry Rehman, Yousaf Raza Gilani, Naveed Qamar, Khurshid Shah, Farooq H Naik, Aitzaz Ahsan and Qamar Zaman Kaira.
The former president and his sister were questioned for around half an hour. Zaradri was summoned by the FIA three times but he did not appear before the JIT fearing arrest as a banking court had already issued non-bailable arrest warrant against him and other absconding suspects in the case.
He appeared before the JIT on Monday only after securing a protective bail from the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
FIA Additional Director General Najaf Mirza, who is head of the JIT, officially recorded their statements in the money laundering case. The FIA has to submit a report to the Supreme Court regarding the ongoing probe on Tuesday (today).
“It is not an issue what FIA asked me during the session, it is important that the cases against me were filed during Nawaz Sharif’s tenure,” Zardari told a journalist during an informal interaction after questioning by the JIT.
Meanwhile, PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira dispelled the rumours that FIA had handed over any questionnaire to the party supremo. “Not even a single question was posed before Asif Ali Zardari [by the FIA]. Faryal Talpur will answer all the questions. Co-chairman appeared before the FIA only after receiving the summons,” he told reporters. “Zardari has no connection with the Zardari Group of Companies since 2008. He detached himself from the administrative and financial matters of the group after his election as country’s president,” he clarified.
Published in Daily Times, August 28th 2018.